List of eponymously named medical signs

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Eponymously Named Medical Signs are clinical signs that have been named after the physicians or medical scientists who first described them. These signs are used in the diagnosis and understanding of various medical conditions. This list includes some of the most well-known and widely used eponymously named medical signs in the field of medicine.

A[edit | edit source]

  • Apley's scratch test: A test used to evaluate shoulder joint mobility, named after British orthopedic surgeon Alan Graham Apley.
  • Argyll Robertson pupil: A condition where the pupil constricts when the patient focuses on a near object but does not respond to direct light, named after Douglas Moray Cooper Lamb Argyll Robertson.

B[edit | edit source]

  • Babinski's sign: A reflex action of the big toe, named after French neurologist Joseph Babinski.
  • Blumberg's sign: A sign of peritonitis, named after American surgeon Jacob Moritz Blumberg.

C[edit | edit source]

  • Chvostek's sign: A clinical sign of existing nerve hyperexcitability, named after František Chvostek.
  • Courvoisier's law: The observation that if in the presence of jaundice the gallbladder is palpable, it is unlikely to be due to gallstones, named after Ludwig Georg Courvoisier.

D[edit | edit source]

  • De Musset's sign: A head bobbing that synchronizes with the heartbeat, named after Alfred de Musset.

E[edit | edit source]

  • Ewart's sign: A physical sign of pericardial effusion, named after William Ewart.

F[edit | edit source]

  • Fothergill's sign: A sign to differentiate between a true and false hernia, named after John Fothergill.

G[edit | edit source]

  • Gowers' sign: A medical sign that indicates weakness of the proximal muscles, named after Sir William Richard Gowers.

H[edit | edit source]

  • Hoffman's sign: A finding elicited on physical examination for neurological dysfunction, named after Johann Hoffmann.

I[edit | edit source]

  • Irving's sign: A clinical sign of pericarditis, named after William Irving.

J[edit | edit source]

  • Joffroy's sign: A clinical sign of exophthalmic goiter, named after Alexis Joffroy.

K[edit | edit source]

  • Kernig's sign: A sign indicating meningitis, named after Vladimir Kernig.

L[edit | edit source]

  • Lhermitte's sign: A sign indicating problems with the neck and cervical spine, named after Jean Lhermitte.

M[edit | edit source]

  • Murphy's sign: A sign of gallbladder disease, named after John Benjamin Murphy.

N[edit | edit source]

  • Nikolsky's sign: A clinical dermatological sign, named after Pyotr Vasilyevich Nikolsky.

O[edit | edit source]

  • Osler's nodes: Painful, red, raised lesions found on the hands and feet, named after Sir William Osler.

P[edit | edit source]

  • Pemberton's sign: A clinical sign for thoracic outlet syndrome or large goiter, named after Hugh Pemberton.

Q[edit | edit source]

  • Quincke's sign: A sign of aortic insufficiency, named after Heinrich Irenaeus Quincke.

R[edit | edit source]

  • Rovsing's sign: A sign of appendicitis, named after Niels Thorkild Rovsing.

S[edit | edit source]

T[edit | edit source]

U[edit | edit source]

  • Urbaniak's sign: A sign of scapholunate instability, named after James R. Urbaniak.

V[edit | edit source]

  • Virchow's node: A left supraclavicular lymph node, named after Rudolf Virchow.

W[edit | edit source]

X[edit | edit source]

  • Xanthochromia: The yellowish appearance of cerebrospinal fluid that distinguishes various conditions, not named after a person but included for completeness.

Y[edit | edit source]

  • Yergason's test: A test for the integrity of the biceps tendon, named after Samuel James Yergason.

Z[edit | edit source]

  • Zinn's zonule: A ring of fibrous strands connecting the ciliary body with the crystalline lens of the eye, named after Johann Gottfried Zinn.

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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD